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Stepping Stones

Four and a half years ago when I was in Sisters, Oregon for the annual outdoor show, I picked up several yards of a colorful print fabric that I just fell in love with. The fabric was designed by Valori Wells, a native of Sisters and co-owner of the shop that sponsors the annual show. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it, but I was pretty obsessed by it. Some months later I was browsing through my copy of the book We Love Color, a compilation of quilts by designers using all solid-colored fabrics. Ironically, Valori Wells has a quilt in the book, but it wasn't her design that spoke to me, it was the one by Lisa Call. This link will take you to her blog and a picture of the quilt she made for the book. Her inspiration for the design is pretty cool. Anyhow, I was able to take her muted color palette and translate it into my bright, colorful version of "Stepping Stones."

I love this quilt. All of the colors in the focus fabric are used for the "stones" in the various blocks. I used the lines created by the blocks, big and small, to quilt uneven parallel lines vertically and horizontally along the quilt. I found the perfect shade of Aurifil 50 wt. thread that matched the eggplant background. These pictures were taken after I washed the quilt and it shrunk just enough to give it that puffy, soft feel.

Some of the blocks went a bit wonky in the quilting--it's not technically perfect. But I don't care. I made it as a souvenir of a fabulous vacation and to celebrate a gorgeous piece of fabric. Also, this quilt serves as a lovely reminder of my sister--I cut all the fabrics during her final visit out here when she was still healthy enough to travel.

See? I loved that fabric so much, I put it on the back.

It took me about 4 days to make the quilt top. I let it sit for over two years until I began quilting it last fall while I watched football. I finished it up in January. My second finish of the year!

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